Irie Morris

Ancestors

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Biography

Irie Morris died young.

Irie was born on August 9, 1942 in Halifax, Virginia to Robert Lee Morris and Ava Love Long.^[1] He was the third of four children, and the second oldest son.

According to his brother and niece, Irie was a fun-loving teenager who, like many boys at that age, liked to get into trouble. Unfortunately, on one particular occasion, trouble chose not to like Irie back. On February 17, 1960, Irie was murdered by a man named Ralph Cole after being killed by an illegal shotgun booby trap when breaking and entering into an unoccupied rural home in which he planned to hide stolen goods. Irie was abandoned by his two co-conspirators at the county hospital shortly after; however, the attending physician said "his survival would have been a miracle" because Irie's intestines "had been punctured over 150 times by shotgun pellets, some of which tore completely through the boy's body."^[2] Irie died that same day.^[3]

Irie's funeral was held at Black Walnut Springs Baptist Church on February 19, 1960, and was bried there in the church cemetery. He was a member of the church.^[2][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Virginia, Birth Records, 1912-2014, Delayed Birth Records, 1854-1911. Certificate no. 1942037193.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Halifax County Man Charged with Murder." The Danville Bee. 18 Feb 1960, beginning on page one.
3. ↑ Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014. Certificate no. 1960004578
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63069539/irie-thomas-morris: accessed 05 April 2023), memorial page for Irie Thomas Morris (9 Aug 1942–Feb 1960), Find a Grave Memorial ID 63069539, citing Black Walnut Cemetery, South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Jennifer Howerton McGeorge (contributor 47064778).